Monthly Archives: August 2011

Holiday

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Gone quilting for a few days.  Also a break with our Boys.  Weather at the moment not so good but who cares we are away and the phone is not ringing! Hope you are all having a good summer where ever you are in the World because Winter is coming!  Yes I am reading my way through George R R Martin’s books Game of Thrones and that is their saying.  If you haven’t read the books and like fantasy books you will love these.   They are a great escape.  So when not sewing I am reading, my two favourite things.

Will post some pictures and more when we get home after the 19th. 

Susie x

Back To Work

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Treacle, Fizz and Youngest.
Since all the travelling around we have finally got back to doing some work! Also trying to get the house and garden straight before we go off on holiday for two weeks to Scotland!  I know what lives we lead!!!!
Last Sunday saw us travelling down to Stratford-Upon-Avon to see some very good friends and we took Treacle with us too as they have an Airedale called Fizz!  We spent a lovely sunny Sunday afternoon outside in their garden for lunch and the dogs just ran round and round and round!  We didn’t manage to get many pictures of them except this one with Youngest, who had managed to get them to sit still for five seconds with biscuits in his hand!!!!
Susie x

Celebration In London

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DH and I could not let this historic month go by without doing something to celebrate Eldest Leaving Senior School and Youngest leaving Primary School.  Although Eldest will be back in September for his A Levels and Youngest will be with him at the school for the start of his Senior School time it was still a big thing.
So I arranged for us to travel down to London on Friday July 22nd and stay at The May Fair Hotel for five days!  The Hotel was very nice and we had a suite.  On the Friday evening we went out to dinner at Wheelers in The Strand which is owned and run by Marco Pierre White.  
Saturday saw us up bright and early (well up early) for a day of shopping the the first place Youngest wanted to go to was Hamleys!  We went and we shopped.  I did a lot of window shopping on Old Bond Street (where all the designer shops are and where there are scary looking security guards on the doors!!!!) .  We did buy some chocolates at Charbonel Et Walker, who is the Queen’s Chocolatier!  Saturday evening we went out to dinner at Babylon in Kensington.  This is a restaurant on top of the building which has its own roof gardens and overlooks London.  The day had been extremely warm and the view and sunset in the evening was captivating.  The food was too!!!!
Sunday we were up early again as we had tickets for Buckingham Palace Tour.  The Palace is only open between July and October when the Queen is not in residence and it is not being used.  We were lucky enough to go the day after it opened for this year and everything looked fresh and new.  We also got to see The Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding dress, veil, shoes, tiara and earrings.  DH and The Boys were not that interested but I was. My opinion, having seen The Princess of Wales dress after her wedding – lovely although it did not stand out as much, and it looked like it was made for a child.  It was tiny!!!!!  In the afternoon we went for tea at The Ritz.  What can I say it was great, even the Boys thought it was great and although it says tea the amount you could have eaten would have done a full meal.
Monday was another day for The Boys to do what they wanted although they did get their hair cut in a very fancy salon near our hotel.  Afterwards we went to Covent Garden and had lunch at Jamie Oliver’s Italian Restaurant there.  A completely different style to the other meals we had but it was great fun and the food was great.  In the evening we went to see Shrek The Musical at The Theatre Royal Drury Lane.  It was great, funny, the characters were amazing, so like the films, and the whole two hours was fun.
The Boys outside Buckingham Palace

Outside the Gates erected for the Queen Mother’s 100 Birthday

The State Coach

Youngest and I having Tea At The Ritz

Eldest and DH having Tea At The Ritz

Youngest and Casper The Fourteenth for Dinner See the Story by Michael Morpurgo.    
Tuesday saw us check out the hotel and stay for the day in London with the Boys doing things they hadn’t already done, mainly looking in all the expensive car showrooms, whilst I did a little retail therapy.
We got home around 10.00pm very tired but had a great time.
Susie x

Last Week At School

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The next busy week was the final week at Primary School for Youngest.  It was quite a busy week for him as we had already had their music concert.  Then all the parents went in the evening of Wednesday July 20th for the Leavers Concert which was really good and funny but also quite emotional.  The previous week they had been down to London for the day and did lots of fun things and DH was able to go which was great for him too.  
They left school on Thursday July 21st, after Presentation and Prize Giving and we collected Youngest from the school at 2.30pm for the last time!  
I and one of the other moms had arranged the Leavers Party in our Village Hall and did the food and entertainment for 42 of them.  
I had spent the last few weeks running around with work, school, Eldest going here, there and everywhere, and all the other things as well, piano, tennis, swimming, Scouts and was just about on my knees with exhaustion by the time the party rolled round, but we did it!!!! They had a great time and I think it was a great send off from Primary to  Senior School.
Susie x
We took him to McDonalds for Breakfast
This is how he came home with his shirt all signed.
Dancing or is it balloon popping?

The Year and Their Teachers and Head

The Food

Their Cake.
 

Anthems In The Park

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It has been a busy few weeks since I last posted and the start of the busy weeks was DH, The Boys and I went to Anthems In The Park at RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire.  The concert was by Brian May (Queen) and Kerry Ellis (We Will Rock You)  featuring the Band of the RAF College and they were all excellent.  DH and I had already seen them in Nottingham in May for my Birthday treat and they were good then but it really was great to be outdoors.  Fortunately the weather co-operated and was sunny.
The Concert on The Orange in front of RAF Cranwell College
DH & The Boys in the The Rotunda Pre Dinner Drinks

We also decided to take the Boys to the Dinner beforehand in RAF Cranwell’s Mess Hall which was hosted by Group Captain David Waddington MA RAF who is the Commanding Officer at RAF Cranwell.  The After Dinner Speaker was Mr John Nichol who is an ex RAF Navigator, Iraqi Prisoner of war, media commentator and best selling author.  He spoke of his experiences during the first Gulf War in 1991.  We all had a great day in very historic surroundings none more so than the Eldest who wants to join the RAF after University as a pilot.  
There was also an Auction after Dinner and we won the item donated by John Nichol, his books signed and a picture of a Tornado signed by all the men who were prisoners of war during 1991.  A most treasured item now.
We were treated to an air display by The Blades (Aerobatic Airline), No. 3 Flying Training School pilots and a Hawker Hurricane Mk. XIIA.  The concert ended with fireworks behind the College main building.  
The whole day’s takings including our dinner, the auction, concert tickets and the fees of the stars went to the RAF Benevolent Fund.  A very worthwhile cause.
Eldest with Air Commodore Paul N Oborn CBE ADC RAF before Dinner
John Nichol, Eldest, Youngest, DH & I with the picture of the Tornado signed by the Prisoners of War 1991

The whole day was an unforgettable experience for us all.
Susie x